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We're on a United flight from Dulles (5:30 pm) to Frankfurt, then 70 minutes to get a Lufthansa flight (on our ticket) to Budapest. Has anyone done this connection? Doable?
I know there are a lot of other shorthaul flights to B'pest so not worried…can catch another…but would like to know from anyone who has done this. I'm assuming we go through customs with our bags in B'pest.

We're on a United flight from Dulles (5:30 pm) to Frankfurt, then 70 minutes to get a Lufthansa flight (on our ticket) to Budapest. Has anyone done this connection? Doable?
I know there are a lot of other shorthaul flights to B'pest so not worried…can catch another…but would like to know from anyone who has done this. I'm assuming we go through customs with our bags in B'pest.

You would not have a ticket if it is not doable !!

Your bag should be checked through with Customs in Budapest, however your passport should be checked in Frankfurt as Gemany and Hungary are in a common passport zone.

I fly fairly often on Lufthansa from JFK to Europe, including Budapest. You should have enough time but you will NOT have much spare time. If you are flying one of the new planes there is quite a long ways to walk from the arrival area to the domestic departure gates. Lufthansa buses you from the terminal to the plane and while it is very efficient, the bus portion alone can take 10-15 minutes. Depending on how fast you move, and I'm usually in a wheelchair so my timing doesn't count, you should make it but you won't have any time to waste and I would go directly to the gate and use the facilities at the gate. You will have to go through security again and since you're not flying Lufthansa from Dallas, I'm not sure if you have to claim your checked bags. I know when I go LH I do not because my bags are checked through from NY to my final city. I would check on that if I were you.

There will be a passport control at Frankfurt airport where you get your Schengen visa. Bags are checked through and customs is at Budapest.

LH will inform you prior to the landing which gate your connection is leaving from. They will also care for a direct transportation (plane to plane plus a stop at passport control) in case you won´t have enough time. In case you won´t make it they will automatically rebook you on a later flight. You only have to pick up your new boarding passes at the gate.

There will be a passport control at Frankfurt airport where you get your Schengen visa. Bags are checked through and customs is at Budapest.

LH will inform you prior to the landing which gate your connection is leaving from. They will also care for a direct transportation (plane to plane plus a stop at passport control) in case you won´t have enough time. In case you won´t make it they will automatically rebook you on a later flight. You only have to pick up your new boarding passes at the gate.

steamboats

On two different occasions we had a tight connection at Frankfurt where there was someone waiting as we disembarked the plane and a placard with our name on it for private transportation and an escort to take us through customs and direct us to our gate...otherwise, we would have not made the connection.

We had not asked for this, LH provided it based on the info they had about passengers with tight connections...and it worked quite well. We made our flights...though one was extremely tight. We were the very last to board before they closed the doors.

As mentioned before, make sure your bags are checked through to BUD and check as you get off the plane to see if there is someone with placard with your name before you board the regular bus.

p.s. the "greeter" was towards the front of the plane where business and first would be exiting the plane...FYI

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Last edited by ddschur; July 22nd, 2013 at 07:05 AM.
Reason: Update comment

I think its too close to call and would try for later if at all possible,Am looking at same flights right now and ALL either really close or very long.So I understand your problem.
We had 1 hr 30 min.and BARELY made it,no one was at gate to meet us and MANY with shorter connections missed their planes.So don t assume if its booked,you ll make it.We were late leaving USA.We had Businesss seats and it was shorter line for security also,then we RAN.
Just a heads up from someone who s been there,literally.Sorry.

Steamboats and DDschur are both correct except for one thing....it sounds like they were on LH into Frankfort, while original poster is not. I agree that LH is fantastic about rewriting and transferring its customers at Frankfort, that's why I fly them all the time. My concern for janmcm is that they are flying United to Frankfort and LH from there to Budapest and they might not get the same care we did. I think Webfoot made the smartest move by finding a LH flight from US to Frankfort and if janmcm were to ask my opinion it would have to be to try to find a LH flight into Frankfort. I have yet to fly any airline that takes such great care of its passengers. (nope don't work for them)

Well, you've all given me LOTS of info. We are flying Bus. Class, so I am figuring that we will be among the first off the plane, so shall hustle along as everyone suggests. But, I will have a backup plan ready, too should we miss the flight to Budapest…I'm always prepared…hence my query here which has given me a lot of great info.

Many thanks to those who took the time and interest to help me out. (BTW, the United flight from Dulles is codeshared with LH…we just start in Austin on United Express.)

We had a connection and were late leaving Dulles. We were booked on the next available, but there were some anxious moments

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It serves no purpose to list all the cruises I have been on chronologically. Many of the lines or ships do not exist any more, or have been renamed. I have sailed on NCL,Bermuda Star, Regency, Royal, Silverseas, Mississippi Queen, Vantage, Marco Polo, Scottish Highlander, Princess, Victoria, Hebridean Princess, Paul Gauguin, Regent, Oceania, Cunard, Rembrandt, and Lev Tolstoy.

Summer 2013, we did the UA flight from Dulles, connecting to a Lufthansa flight to Budapest, with similar connecting times. NEVER AGAIN...the time to walk from UA gate to LH gate, even though both are in Terminal 1, is RIDICULOUS. We did make it but just minutes before the buses started boarding for transit to the aircraft. Even though the LH gate agent advised that our luggage was in-transit and all looked good, luggage did not make it to BUD.

[quote=janmcn;39239411]Well, you've all given me LOTS of info. We are flying Bus. Class, so I am figuring that we will be among the first off the plane, so shall hustle along as everyone suggests. But, I will have a backup plan ready, too should we miss the flight to Budapest…I'm always prepared…hence my query here which has given me a lot of great info.

Flying Bus. Class will help for sure. I don't know the specification, but LH new planes from NY are double decker with all Bus. Cl. on second level. It really does get you off the plane FAST! Don't know if you know this, but from Frankfort to Budapest you will not have separate business class. What they do is take as many of the front rows (3 across) as needed and reconfigure them by blocking the middle seat. It's still very comfortable and the flights are usually less than 2 hours, but there's no pre-boarding. When the buses pull up everybody gets on and when it arrives at the plane everybody gets off! FYI the plane will be tarmac boarding so be prepared to walk up the steps to the plane.

Thanks, "'kitty'"…yes, we know it's no Bus. Class on that leg, and the 777 we fly from Dulles is "one level" but we'll be able to get off pretty immediately and we'll be ready for what sounds like a long, fast walk to where we'll get the bus to meet our short-haul flight to Budapest. We'll have our hiking shoes on…so we'll be swift ;-)
I've checked on the next two flights so I have them in my "plan" to refer to…but hopefully we'll make it. Might not get a potty break until on the plane, though ;-)

Terminal 1 in FRA can be frustrating - it's very large and the gates can be far apart. We have had to go through security again going from United to Lufthansa. Lufthansa tends to be strict about rules. They are supposed to abide by the carry-on rules of the original flight, but I would not count on that. Took us 1 hour of walking last time.

What to do:
Go to LH's website and be sure your carry-on is along their rules.
Print a map of LH terminal 1 from their website.
Walk as fast as possible.
Ask airport workers as you walk to be sure you are going the right way.
cb

I agree, it's a little tight but as long as your flight from Newark is on time, you will be ok. Can your TA switch you to a later flight? I believe Lufthansa has a 9:55 flight to prague.

I have a call into the TA to ask about this. This is booked through Viking Air. We fly from Ft. Lauderdale to Newark to Frankfurt to Prague. I'm wondering if we leave from Miami if we can get to Prague with 2 flights instead of 3.